Braintree + Shopify integration

Vendor pluginLast verified 2026-09-11 · Reviewed by a person 2026-09-25

Braintree connects to Shopify Checkout through the PayPal Braintree payments app, published and supported on the Shopify App Store by PayPal, Inc. (launched 12 February 2024, free to install). Shopify's help center treats it as the current integration path for merchants coming off the legacy Braintree connector and the retired PayPal Payflow Pro and Payments Pro gateways, and PayPal's own upgrade hub describes the same move from Braintree Direct to the plugin. It runs as a third-party credit card provider, so Shopify's per-plan third-party transaction fee applies on top of Braintree's rate, and Shopify Payments-only features such as Shop Pay and local-currency charging are not available through it.1

UAT-Ops testing: Braintree's sandbox was tested by UAT-Ops on 2026-09-11 with the directory's card flow (7 passed, 1 expected rejection) → evidence on the Braintree hub. The Shopify integration itself has not been run.

Sources checked: 27 claims from 7 sites, listed at the foot of the page.

Connects through Activate Braintree from Settings > Payments in the Shopify admin as the store's single third-party credit card provider; the PayPal Braintree payments app is installed from that flow (Update > Install > Manage account) and connected to an existing Braintree merchant account. Stores that had the legacy Braintree connector, including those using Braintree only as a secondary gateway for legacy subscriptions, must move to the app and reactivate Shop Pay afterwards if it was on. Biggest gotcha: The app exists, but you will not find it where you expect.

How it connects

Method
Activate Braintree from Settings > Payments in the Shopify admin as the store's single third-party credit card provider; the PayPal Braintree payments app is installed from that flow (Update > Install > Manage account) and connected to an existing Braintree merchant account. Stores that had the legacy Braintree connector, including those using Braintree only as a secondary gateway for legacy subscriptions, must move to the app and reactivate Shop Pay afterwards if it was on.1
Maintained by
PayPal, Inc. (Braintree is a PayPal service); Shopify maintains the Payments Platform the app plugs into1
Cost of the integration
The app is free. Shopify charges its third-party transaction fee on every order it processes: 2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus, on top of Braintree's own rate (published US standard rate 2.89% + 0.29 USD per card or wallet transaction, 15.00 USD per chargeback). If Shopify Payments is kept active alongside it for Shop Pay and local methods, those Shopify Payments transactions carry a 1.25% premium.1
Checkout modes
shopify checkout2
PCI scope
SAQ A for most merchants: card data is entered in the gateway's own fields or page, so it never touches your server. The gateway or your acquirer can still require a different questionnaire.3

What works on this platform

Yes: a source confirms it on this integration. Limited: supported, but only under meaningful conditions or through a subset of connector paths. Not verified here: the gateway supports it, but no source confirms this integration exposes it. No: not available. A capability with no source either way is left off.

CapabilityOn this integrationNotes
CardsYes1The app listing offers sale, authorization, refund, void and verify; Braintree stays the primary provider for credit and debit cards even when Shopify Payments is active as a secondary provider.
Apple PayYes1Listed on the PayPal Braintree app; Shopify's Apple Pay guide directs merchants to third-party providers that list it. Apple Pay payment methods are also the only wallet Shopify will migrate from Braintree for legacy subscriptions.
Google PayYes1Listed on the PayPal Braintree app; Shopify's Google Pay guide requires a credit card provider that lists Google Pay. Google Pay methods cannot be migrated from Braintree into Shopify subscription contracts.
SubscriptionsLimited4Only for billing subscriptions migrated from elsewhere. Braintree is not on Shopify's list of supported gateways for subscription products (Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen and Stripe); it is documented only as a legacy secondary gateway for billing migrated contracts, even though the app listing mentions subscriptions. See gotchas.
Partial refundsYes5Braintree refunds only transactions in Settling or Settled status; an unsettled order must be voided in full instead, which merchants report as error 91506 when attempting a same-day partial refund from Shopify.
Multi-currencyNo6Shopify charges in the customer's local currency only when Shopify Payments or Adyen is the primary gateway; with Braintree the price is converted and charged in the store currency at checkout. Braintree's legacy gateway also does not support multi-currency subscription contracts.
PayPalNot verified here7Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
ACH bank paymentsNot verified here7Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
SEPA Direct DebitNot verified here8Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
3-D SecureNot verified here9Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
Network tokensNot verified here10Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
Saved cards (vault)Not verified here11Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.
Level 2 / Level 3 dataNot verified here12Braintree supports this; no source confirms it on this integration.

Capability status reflects the integration and documentation available at the time of verification, not necessarily every capability of the underlying gateway or platform.

Testing it

Shopify's help center lists Braintree among the integrated providers that expose a test-mode option from the admin, with the activation steps left to Braintree's own documentation, so create a Braintree sandbox account separately and use its sandbox merchant ID and keys: nothing configured in the sandbox transfers to production. Testing any payment gateway on Shopify requires a paid plan and customers cannot place live orders while providers are in test mode, so run the check on a development store. Pay with Braintree's sandbox numbers (Visa 4111111111111111, Mastercard 5555555555554444, Amex 378282246310005) and drive outcomes with the order total: 0.01 to 1999.99 settles, 2000.00 to 2999.99 is processor declined, 3000.00 to 3000.99 fails with a 3000 response. Assert that Shopify records the same authorization or sale you see in the Braintree Control Panel, that a full refund of an unsettled order voids rather than errors, and that a partial refund only succeeds once the transaction shows Settled.13

UAT-Ops runs integration flows like this against the real sandbox and keeps the evidence. Get one email when it opens.

Gotchas

The app exists, but you will not find it where you expect

The PayPal Braintree payments app is live on the Shopify App Store, published by PayPal, Inc. and launched 12 February 2024, yet PayPal's own partner page on the App Store lists only its Pay Later Messaging and Payments Studio apps. Older community threads, including a 2020 answer from Shopify staff, say the Braintree partnership ended in 2016 for new stores. Ignore those; go to Settings > Payments, pick Braintree from the provider list for your country, and install from there.

Source: apps.shopify.com1

Shopify's third-party fee stacks on Braintree's rate

Braintree is a third-party credit card provider on Shopify, so the platform's third-party transaction fee applies to every order it processes: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus, on top of Braintree's published 2.89% + 0.29 USD. If you keep Shopify Payments active as a secondary provider for Shop Pay and local methods, those transactions cost the Shopify Payments rate plus a 1.25% premium. Model the blended rate before choosing.

Source: shopify.com16

Partial refunds wait for settlement

Braintree refunds only transactions in Settling or Settled status; anything still Authorized or Submitted for Settlement must be voided in full. A merchant on the Shopify Braintree app reported same-day partial refunds failing with error 91506, which Shopify Payments had allowed. Train support staff to void the whole order or wait for settlement, and assert that behaviour in your test plan rather than assuming Shopify's refund button always works.

Source: developer.paypal.com17

The listing says subscriptions; Shopify's docs say legacy only

The app listing mentions subscriptions, but Shopify's list of gateways supported for subscription products is Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen and Stripe. Braintree appears in Shopify's developer docs only as a legacy secondary gateway, connected by OAuth, for billing contracts migrated from an older subscription app, and only one legacy gateway can be active. Migration moves cards and Apple Pay only; PayPal and Google Pay methods stored in Braintree do not transfer.

Source: shopify.dev4

130 currencies on the listing, one currency at checkout

The listing advertises acceptance in more than 130 currencies, but Shopify charges in the shopper's local currency only when Shopify Payments or Adyen is the primary gateway. With Braintree, the local-currency feature changes displayed prices only; at checkout the total is converted and charged in the store's default currency, and Braintree's legacy gateway cannot bill multi-currency subscription contracts. Cross-border stores should compare against Shopify Payments or Adyen before committing.

Source: help.shopify.com6

Alternatives

Other gateways on Shopify

Braintree on other platforms

Sources

  1. https://apps.shopify.com/paypal-braintreemarketplace listing · describes the connector · checked 2026-09-11
  2. https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/third-party-providersofficial documentation · describes the platform · checked 2026-09-11
  3. https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/payments/processingofficial documentation · describes the platform · a claim here is implied by this source, not stated · checked 2026-09-11
  4. https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/purchase-options/subscriptions/migrate-to-subscriptions-api/migrate-customer-informationofficial documentation · describes this integration · checked 2026-09-11
  5. https://community.shopify.com/t/facing-issues-with-braintree-app-for-payments-in-ecommerce/311523community forum · describes this integration · a claim here is implied by this source, not stated · checked 2026-09-11
  6. https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/international/paymentsofficial documentation · describes the platform · checked 2026-09-11
  7. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/start/overviewofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  8. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/guides/sepa-direct-debit/overviewofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  9. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/guides/3d-secure/overviewofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  10. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/guides/network-tokens/getting-startedofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  11. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/guides/paypal/overviewofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  12. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/reference/general/level-2-and-3-processing/overviewofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  13. https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/test-orders/payments-test-modeofficial documentation · describes this integration · checked 2026-09-11
  14. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/articles/get-started/try-it-outofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  15. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/docs/reference/general/testingofficial documentation · checked 2026-09-11
  16. https://www.shopify.com/pricing
  17. https://developer.paypal.com/braintree/articles/control-panel/transactions/refunds-voids-credits

Last verified 2026-09-11 · Reviewed by a person 2026-09-25

Integration capabilities, requirements, pricing, availability, and vendor policies may change over time. UAT-Ops documents information based on the authoritative sources and testing available at the time of review.

Where newer information, testing, or vendor documentation materially changes a published claim, UAT-Ops may revise the page to reflect the most current verified information. Readers should confirm time-sensitive requirements with the relevant vendor before making production or purchasing decisions.